Hybrids

Porsche unveils the new 2012 911. [MotorAuthority] Ferrari makes the 458 Spider official, retractable hard-top and all. [MotorAuthority] The rear-wheel drive Subaru version of the Toyota FT-86 will be called BRZ. [MotorAuthority] We drive the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. [GreenCarReports] Jaguar is...

Solar panel technology has, thus far, not been of much use for automobiles. You may be able to specify a small solar panel on the 2011 Nissan Leaf or 2012 Toyota Prius, but it's mainly used to top up the energy needed to power accessories such as your air conditioning or in-car entertainment. As a...

We may spend the day writing about modern car technology, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate the classic cars that helped form the industry we know today. Some might even suggest "they don't make 'em like they used to", and they'd be right. Unfortunately, they also lack all the safety...

Speaking at a conference in Washington, D.C. today, Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby confirmed the U.S. will receive a plug-in hybrid version of the V60, but it won't be quite the same as the European model. There, they'll get a diesel-hybrid V60. Here, we get gasoline. The diesel V60 plug-in won't be...

You might not think your jeans have the capacity for causing much damage unless you're one of the unlucky souls to have once caught part of their anatomy in the zipper, but they can actually be responsible for undue wear to your car seats. A light-colored leather interior can look absolutely...

Rumors and insinuations about Mazda's next-gen rotary-powered sports car have been brewing since somewhere around the midpoint of the RX-8's life cycle. Some of those rumors were quite juicy. This one isn't. Instead, it's dry as cardboard crumbled into a cupful of soygurt. The gist of it: the RX-9...

The much-publicized deal between Nissan's luxury Infiniti brand and Red Bull Racing's Formula 1 effort has spawned rumors about future products, how the collaboration might impact Infiniti's range. But the speculation hasn't gone in the other direction until now. The latest has Nissan/Infiniti's...

If your idea of a vehicle with another attatched to the back is a Winnebago with a Smart ForTwo strapped behind it, you need to start thinking about downsizing. Chinese automaker Geely (owners of Volvo) has just the combo for you. It's known as the McCAR, and although its appearance might make you...

The Honda (or Acura) NSX, once hailed as the $40,000 Ferrari of its day, lived a long, if largely changeless life. When it was finally axed in 2005, many were sad to learn of it, but few had their buying plans squished. Now, the NSX may yet return (again), though it will be a very different car...

As the U.S. preps for the 2011 New York Auto Show, the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show is already getting underway. One of the first concepts revealed at the show: the Buick Envision plug-in hybrid crossover concept. Though the press-release doesn't explicitly say the Envision is running on Volt...

The future of design at Lexus is before your eyes. The core concept behind the LF-Gh Hybrid Concept: balancing style and funcitonality, with an eye to performance, efficiency, and "environmental compatibility." These design themes and cues will "migrate" into future Lexus vehicles, says the...

Land Rover is ensuring its range of luxury SUVs has a safe future despite high fuel prices, with the aid of hybrid and more advanced plug-in hybrid technologies. The automaker has already built several electrified prototypes and concept vehicles in the recent past, which we have reported on in...

We called it: the Lexus LF-Gh hybrid is not, in fact, a GX hybrid SUV, as some would have had you believe. It's a look at the future styling direction of a GS-sized hybrid sedan. These are the first teaser images of the car. We may get some more glimpses at the car before its official unveiling...

Sophisticated hybrid systems that utilize an internal combustion engine to power one axle and an electric motor spinning the opposing one seems to be all the rage these days and could potentially form the next wave of green car technology to sweep the auto industry. By powering two axles instead of...

Back at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show Lexus unveiled a modified version of its new CT 200h that was prepared by the guys at tuning firm Five Axis. Now, just a few weeks out from the 2011 New York Auto Show, Lexus has announced that another, more highly modified version of the luxury hybrid hatchback...

As the world's automakers go back to the drawing board on what they need to compete in today's market, both structurally and in terms of product, parts sharing and efficiency are increasingly becoming key concepts. The next-generation of the Mercedes-Benz ML-Class SUV could embrace both concepts...

The long-running ad wars between Audi and BMW are just one example of taking the fight to the competition in the effort to sell more cars, and this week both Corvette and Infiniti have thrown down their gloves at respective rivals. But does this sort of advertising pay off in the end? We're not...

The Shanghai Auto Show may be stealing much of the hybrid limelight, but Lexus won't be letting the concurrent New York Auto Show go to waste: a new hybrid concept car, the LF-Gh, will be on display. We don't know yet exactly what the LF-Gh might be, however. Some are speculating that it'll be a...

Next month's Shanghai Motor Show will host the debut of a new BMW: the 5-Series "New Energy Vehicle," a plug-in hybrid that BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer is "from China for China." Early word of the New Energy Vehicle first emerged from unofficial channels in January, but Reithofer confirmed the car in...

Rumors are as rumors do, and they're flying as wildly as ever around the Toyota FT-86 after the second version, the uninventively-named FT-86 II, was revealed at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show last week. This time, the rumors aren't about delays or cancelation, but about a hybrid powertrain. The rumors...